The 2011 Carlisle, Pennsylvania Bike Fest is scheudled for 22-24 July 2011. The organisers promise that the:

As some of you know, I've always loved the look of military motorcycles. I probably will never own one, because I put far too much value on my bikes actually starting to own a classic bike.

Anyway, here is the top view of the WLA from the U.S. Army Technical Manual No. 9-879, Motorcycle Solo, Harley Davidson Model WLA that I found on the internets. Enjoy.

Dick Winters, the respected U.S. Army officer from Band of Brothers fame, has died at the age of 92. May he rest in peace and be remembered for a long time.
Apparently, one of Winters' favourite saying was "hang tough".
Kind of says it all really.

MONTEITH, JIMMIE W., JR.

In the early morning hours of 9 March 1916, Mexican rebel leader Francisco "Pancho" Villa led a band of Mexican Revolutionaries on an attack of Columbus, New Mexico.
The background intrigue is far more interesting than the actual battle battle between Villa and the US 13th Cavalry who were stationed nearby. US President Woodrow Wilson had tried to manipulate Mexican leaders by supporting opposition leaders and rebels. Wilson had supported opposition leader Venustiano Carranzo when dictator Victoriano Huerta was in power. However, when Carranzo took power, Wilson didn't like him either, so he supported Villa and his "Villistas," even though Villa was a known bandit and murderer. When Carranzo changed a bit and began to court Wilson's administration for support, the US President switched again. Thereafter, Wilson allowed Carranzo to use US railways and jumping off points to fight Villa's forces. This enraged Villa.

After defeat in Russia in 1812, Napoleaon was being chased by the European Allies across central Europe and into France by early 1814. The Prussian and Russian forces were led by the Prussian Marshal Blucher and were threatening Paris by early 1814. Napoleon was fighting for his very survival.

After several battles on the trot, some won, some lost, Blucher occupied the town of Laon. Laon was trategically important because it was a major communications crossroads near Paris. Holding Laon would give Blucher the logistical base to attack into Paris. Napoleon obviously felt it could not remain held by the enemy. Laon was also a tactical stronghold due to its placement on a plateau with steep slopes for defense.

By July 1645, Royalist fortunes were on the wane and Lord Goring was using all of his strategic wiles to evade the confident New Model Army under Lord-General Fairfax. Knowing that Fairfax outnumbered him nearly two to one, Goring sent 3 cavalry Brigades under Lieutenant General Porter to threaten the nearby Parliamentary town of Taunton, probably as a diversion, in the hopes of dividing Fairfax's force. However, Fairfax caught up to Goring after capturing most of Goring's cavalry diversion betwixt Langport and Taunton. Fairfax came to the battle weaker than ideal, but still with the determination to break up Goring's force for good.

In between Omaha and Utah beaches in Normandy lies a promontory called Pointe du Hoc. Prior to D-Day on 6 June 1944, the Germans had six 155mm artillery pieces that could effectively fire on either Omaha or Utah beaches. Pointe du Hoc (typo'ed as Pointe du Hoe on many D-Day documents and maps) was target number one for the Americans to neutralize.

Feeling the pointe was unassailable from the sea, the Germans focussed most of the defenses facing rearward. The Americans, knowing this, sent their elite infantrymen, Companies D, E & F of the 2nd Ranger Batallion, to scale the seaside 100 foot vertical walls of the pointe in an attempt to surprise the Germans.

The pointe was subjected to an unprecedented aerial and naval bombardment prior to the invasion. You can see the effects of this in the giant craters that still exist here today. The firing lifted just before the Rangers were to land at 06:30. This is where things begian to go wrong.

After the tough battles at Emuckfau/Emuckfaw and Enitachopco Creeks and the near total devastation of the Red Stick Creeks at Horseshoe Bend, Jackson ordered all of the Creeks to report to Fort Jackson on 1 August 1814 to discuss terms of a comprehensive treaty. Jackson was a new Major Genral in the U.S. Army due to the resignation of William Henry Harrison, the hero of Tippecanoe, and was in no mood for compromise and stood firm with all of the Creeks, including the US frendly White Sticks.

After being hectored by the fast and loose talking Isaac Stevens, the Washington Territory Governor, into signing a treaty that would see them removed from their ancestral lands to reservations in 1855, the native tribes of present day eastern Washington state became restless with the intruding white settlers and miners. Repeated raids and revenge killings spiralled the area into open confrontation between the U.S. Regualr Army of the Northwest and combined tribes of eastern Washington.